Meditations — Page 7
He trod the path beaten by his predecessors, seeking only to do his duty as well as he could, and to keep out corruption.
Er folgte dem von seinen Vorgängern gebahnten Weg, strebte nur danach, seine Pflicht so gut wie möglich zu erfüllen und Korruption fernzuhalten.
He did some unwise things, it is true.
Er tat einige unkluge Dinge, das ist wahr.
To create a compeer in empire, as he did with Verus, was a dangerous innovation which could only succeed if one of the two effaced himself; and under Diocletian this very precedent caused the Roman Empire to split into halves.
Einen Mitregenten im Reich zu schaffen, wie er es mit Verus tat, war eine gefährliche Neuerung, die nur dann gelingen konnte, wenn sich einer der beiden zurückzog; und unter Diocletian führte eben dieser Präzedenzfall dazu, dass das Römische Reich in zwei Hälften zerfiel.
He erred in his civil administration by too much centralising.
In seiner zivilen Verwaltung irrte er durch übermäßige Zentralisierung.
But the strong point of his reign was the administration of justice.
Aber der Glanzpunkt seiner Herrschaft war die Rechtspflege.
Marcus sought by-laws to protect the weak, to make the lot of the slaves less hard, to stand in place of father to the fatherless.
Marcus suchte durch Gesetze die Schwachen zu schützen, das Los der Sklaven zu erleichtern und den Vaterlosen als Vater zu dienen.
Charitable foundations were endowed for rearing and educating poor children.
Wohltätigkeitsstiftungen wurden zur Aufzucht und Erziehung armer Kinder eingerichtet.
The provinces were protected against oppression, and public help was given to cities or districts which might be visited by calamity.
Die Provinzen wurden vor Unterdrückung geschützt, und Städten oder Bezirken, die von Unglück heimgesucht wurden, wurde öffentliche Hilfe gewährt.
The great blot on his name, and one hard indeed to explain, is his treatment of the Christians.
Der große Makel seines Namens, und einer, der sich in der Tat schwer erklären lässt, ist sein Umgang mit den Christen.
In his reign Justin at Rome became a martyr to his faith, and Polycarp at Smyrna, and we know of many outbreaks of fanaticism in the provinces which caused the death of the faithful.
In seiner Regierungszeit wurde Justinus in Rom zum Märtyrer seines Glaubens, ebenso Polykarp in Smyrna, und wir wissen von vielen Ausbrüchen des Fanatismus in den Provinzen, die den Tod der Gläubigen verursachten.
It is no excuse to plead that he knew nothing about the atrocities done in his name: it was his duty to know, and if he did not he would have been the first to confess that he had failed in his duty.
Es ist keine Entschuldigung, vorzugeben, dass er nichts von den in seinem Namen begangenen Grausamkeiten wusste: Es war seine Pflicht zu wissen, und wenn er es nicht wusste, wäre er der Erste gewesen, der zugab, seine Pflicht verfehlt zu haben.
Vocabulary
- folgte
- Followed; past tense of folgen
- Vorgängern
- Predecessors; those who came before in a role
- gebahnten
- Beaten, cleared; as in a well-worn path
- Weg
- Way, path, road; a route or course
- strebte
- Strived, aspired; past tense of streben
- danach
- After that, for that; adverb of direction or aim
- Pflicht
- Duty, obligation; moral or professional responsibility
- möglich
- Possible; capable of being done or achieved
- erfüllen
- To fulfill, carry out; to meet a duty or obligation
- Korruption
- Corruption; dishonest or fraudulent conduct by officials
- fernzuhalten
- To keep away, ward off; to prevent something approaching
- unkluge
- Unwise, imprudent; lacking good judgment
- wahr
- True; corresponding to fact or reality
- Mitregenten
- Co-ruler; a person sharing ruling power with another
- Reich
- Empire, realm; a large domain ruled by one authority
- schaffen
- To create, establish; to bring something into existence
- gefährliche
- Dangerous; involving risk or potential harm
- Neuerung
- Innovation, novelty; a newly introduced change or practice
- gelingen
- To succeed, work out; to achieve a desired result
- beiden
- Both, the two; referring to two persons or things
- zurückzog
- Withdrew, retreated; past tense of sich zurückziehen
- führte
- Led, resulted in; past tense of führen
- eben
- Just, exactly, precisely; emphasizing adverb
- Präzedenzfall
- Precedent; an earlier case serving as an example
- Römische
- Roman; adjective relating to Rome or its empire
- Hälften
- Halves; two equal parts of a whole
- zerfiel
- Fell apart, disintegrated; past tense of zerfallen
- zivilen
- Civil; relating to civilian or non-military affairs
- Verwaltung
- Administration, governance; management of public affairs
- irrte
- Erred, made mistakes; past tense of irren
- übermäßige
- Excessive; going beyond what is necessary or reasonable
- Zentralisierung
- Centralization; concentrating power or control in one place
- Glanzpunkt
- Highlight, crowning point; most brilliant aspect of something
- Herrschaft
- Rule, reign; the exercise of power or authority
- Rechtspflege
- Administration of justice; the practice of applying law
- suchte
- Sought, tried; past tense of suchen
- Gesetze
- Laws; formal rules enacted by authority
- Schwachen
- The weak; those lacking power or strength
- schützen
- To protect, safeguard; to keep from harm or danger
- Los
- Lot, fate; the condition or situation of a person
- Sklaven
- Slaves; people legally owned and forced to work
- erleichtern
- To ease, relieve; to make something less burdensome
- Vaterlosen
- The fatherless; children without a living father
- dienen
- To serve; to work for or assist someone
- Wohltätigkeitsstiftungen
- Charitable foundations; organizations set up for public benefit
- Aufzucht
- Rearing, raising; the upbringing of children or animals
- Erziehung
- Education, upbringing; the process of raising or training
- armer
- Poor; of those lacking financial means (genitive form)
- eingerichtet
- Established, set up; past participle of einrichten
- Provinzen
- Provinces; administrative regions of an empire or country
- Unterdrückung
- Oppression; unjust or cruel exercise of authority
- geschützt
- Protected; past participle of schützen
- Bezirken
- Districts; administrative subdivisions of a region
- Unglück
- Misfortune, disaster; a terrible or unfortunate event
- heimgesucht
- Afflicted, struck; visited by disaster or trouble
- öffentliche
- Public; relating to or available to all people
- Hilfe
- Help, aid; assistance given to someone in need
- gewährt
- Granted, provided; past participle of gewähren
- Makel
- Blemish, stain; a flaw or mark on a reputation
- Tat
- Act, deed; an action performed by a person
- schwer
- Hard, difficult, heavy; not easy or light
- erklären
- To explain; to make something clear or understandable
- lässt
- Lets, allows; third person singular of lassen
- Umgang
- Dealings, treatment; way of interacting with others
- Christen
- Christians; followers of the Christian religion
- Regierungszeit
- Reign, time in office; period of ruling or governing
- Märtyrer
- Martyr; one who dies for their religious beliefs
- Glaubens
- Of faith; genitive of Glaube, belief or religion
- ebenso
- Likewise, equally; in the same way or degree
- wissen
- To know; to have knowledge of facts or information
- Ausbrüchen
- Outbreaks, eruptions; sudden occurrences of violence or chaos
- Fanatismus
- Fanaticism; extreme and unreasonable devotion to a cause
- Tod
- Death; the end of life
- Gläubigen
- Believers, faithful; those who hold a religious faith
- verursachten
- Caused; past tense of verursachen, to bring about
- Entschuldigung
- Excuse, apology; a reason offered to justify an action
- vorzugeben
- To pretend, to claim; to put forward a false reason
- nichts
- Nothing; not anything at all
- begangenen
- Committed; past participle of begehen, to commit a crime
- Grausamkeiten
- Cruelties, atrocities; acts of extreme brutality or violence
- wusste
- Knew; past tense of wissen
- wäre
- Would be; subjunctive of sein
- zugab
- Admitted, conceded; past tense of zugeben
- verfehlt
- Failed, missed; past participle of verfehlen, to fall short
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